Casting equipment



Aug. 1962 M. G. GUYOT 3,049,767

CASTING EQUIPMENT Filed Dec. 3, 1958 4 Sheets-Sheet l INVEN TOR.

MARIUS G. GUYOT sy/dglw%y ATTORNEY Aug. 21, 1962 M. G. GUYOT CASTING EQUIPMENT 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Dec. 3, 1958 INVENTOR.

MARIUS G. GUYOT BY ATTORN EY nite tare 3,049,767 CASTING EQUIPMENT Marius G. Guyot, Rocky River, Ohio, assignor to Aluminum Company of America, Pittsburgh, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Filed Dec. 3, 1958, Ser. No. 777,971 2 Claims. (Cl. 22-68) This invention relates generally to casting equipment and is more particularly concerned with the provision of relatively high speed casting apparatus capable of repeated cyclic operation with a minimum amount of attention on the part of an operator of such equipment.

Although an apparatus for the production of cast pistons for internal combustion engines, and similar prime movers, has been selected for purposes of specifically illustrating and describing the invention, it will be understood by those versed in the casting art that the invention is not limited in its scope to any particular cast article, the improved equipment hereinafter described being capable of adaptation in the production of any article of commerce from castable materials characterized by their ability to be delivered to a mold cavity in a molten or semi-fluid fiowable condition, where solidification can take place in the production of a solidified or finished cast article. In this respect, molten metals and their alloys, and any number of commercial castable plastics, readily lend themselves in the practice of the invention.

A primary object of the invention is to provide an improved casting apparatus incorporating mold charging and finished casting handling equipment in an integrated mechanism, which reduces the elapsed time required in the performance of repeated casting operations.

Another object of the invention is the provision of an integrated casting mechanism and controls therefor which greatly reduce the human operator factor normally associated with casting equipment.

A further object of the invention is to provide automatic casting equipment incorporating mold filling and finished casting handling features in a sequentially controlled operating cycle of the equipment.

Other objects and advantages, including the provision of a piston casting apparatus, will be understood on consideration of the following description and illustrations, in which:

FIG. 1 represents a top plan view of an integrated casting and finished casting handling apparatus embodying features of the invention;

FIG. 2 represents an end elevational view of the apparatus of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 represents a sectional elevation taken on the plane 33 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 represents a fragmentary sectional elevational view similar to FIG. 3, but illustrating a modification of the apparatus illustrated in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 represents a fragmentary sectional elevational view substantially similar to FIG. 3 and showing casting apparatus of the invention following completion of a casting operation;

FIG. 6 represents a fragmentary plan view taken on the plane 6-6 of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 represents a composite fragmentary side elevational view of the apparatus illustrated in FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 represents a sectional view taken on the plane 88 of FIG. 5.;

FIG. 9 represents a sectional view taken on the plane 99 of FIG. 5;

FIG. 10 represents a sectional view taken on the plane 1010 of FIG. 5;

FIG. 11 represents a fragmentary plan, as viewed in the direction of the arrows 11-11 in FIG. 5;

3,049,767 Patented Aug. 21, 1962 FIG. 12 represents a partial fragmentary transverse sectional view of the structure illustrated in FIG. 11;

FIG. 13 represents a fragmentary partial sectional view taken on the plane 13-13 of FIG. 5; and

FIG. 14 represents an enlarged fragmentary elevational view of the mold sealing plate of the casting mechanism of the invention.

The invention in general relates to apparatus for pro ducing castings from molten metal, or other flowable or semi-fluid castable materials, in which a mold provided with a cavity defining the exterior configuration of a casting, is bottom filled under sufficient pressure to raise flowable material to be cast into the mold cavity to fill the same. The mold proper is provided with a gated bottom closure plate through which the flowable material is introduced under pressure into the mold cavity, a characteristic of the invention being that the bottom mold plate is removable on solidfication of the charged contents within the mold cavity to expose the bottom surface of a finished casting and permit its subsequent release and gravitational discharge from the casting equipment.

A finished casting-receiving and transfer mechanism is also provided for movement into position below the mold for receiving finished or solidfied castings gravity discharged therefrom and for conveying the same to a station out of interference with subsequent use of the mold and pressure-filling apparatus therefor in a subsequent casting operation.

In more detail, and on reference to the illustrations appended hereto, the casting apparatus preferably comprises a main frame structure 10 in combination with a melting or holding furnace 12 equipped with a protruding blister 14 for supplying and maintaining a source or reservoir of molten metal, or similar fiowable castable material, supplied from the furnace or holding chamber 12.

The main frame 10 is preferably of open frame construction and supports permanent-type cavitied mold elements, to be later described, and is also preferably translatable into and out of operative position over the blister 14, depressed tracks 16 and flanged wheels 18, carried on the frame 10, being provided for this purpose. This translatable feature of the equipment of the invention makes it possible to separate its several integrated elements for maintenance, repairs and replacements, as required. To insure proper alignment and static relationship between the furnace 12, blister 14 and translatable frame 10, in operative association, pins 20 reciprocally mounted in brackets 22 carried by the main frame 10 are provided, the pins 20 being reciprocal into suitable socket members 24 embedded in the floor or foundation supporting the equipment of the invention.

A shelf or platform 26, formed integral with or rigidly secured to the main frame 10, is provided intermediate the depth thereof, the shelf or platform being provided with an aperture 28 for receiving downwardly depending sectional core elements 30, 32 and 34 employed to define the interior configuration of a cast piston. The aperture 28 is preferably provided with a flanged bushing 36, the purpose and construction of which will be hereinafter described.

The underside of the platform 26 serves as structural supporting means for guide members 38 (FIG. 9) secured thereto and between which side core reciprocating pusher plates 41} are slidably supported, a pair of fluid operated double acting piston and cylinder units 42, supported by means of brackets 44 rigidly mounted on the underside of platform 26, being interconnected to the plates 40 and serving to reciprocate the same.

Mold halves 46 are also slidably supported in respect of the underside of platform 26 by means of the previously mentioned fixed guide elements 38 (FIG. 9), a pair of double acting fluid operated piston and cylinder units 48, rigidly mounted in the aforesaid brackets 44, being interconnected to the mold halves 46 .to impart proper translation thereof. Wrist pin core elements 54 are also effectively translated in response to movement of the mold sections 46 in well-known conventional manner.

The central core member 32 is lowered and raised into and out of position between the mold halves 46 by means of a double acting fluid operated piston and cylinder unit or mechanism 60 secured or rigidly mounted on the exposed top surface of the main frame 19. Side core 31}, on upward extraction of the central core member 32, is translated laterally inwardly by abutting engagement with the inner end of core pusher plate 4d adjacent theretoin response to tr-anslatory effort delivery by piston and cylinder tmit 42 connected thereto into the space vacated by the central core member 32. It will be observed that the side core 38* is secured to the underside of a cross head member 62 (FIGS. :and '13) slidaibly mounted in a guide I lock 64 and secured to the piston rod 66 extending downwardly from a double acting fluid operated cylinder 68 mounted rigidly through the medium of a bracket 79 rigidly secured in suitable fashion within the main frame 10. Inward movement of side core 30, as herein described, permits its upward withdrawal under etfo-r-t delivered by the piston and cylinder unit 68 out of the interior of the cavity formed by mold halves 46 to its withdrawn position shown in FIG. 5. Side core element 34, on the other hand, is rigidly secured to the inner end of its associated pusher plate 4t) and is merely movable into the interior of the casting cavity between mold halves 46 under the influence of its piston and cylinder unit 42 connected therewith.

it will be observed that the aforementioned flanged bushing 36 (FIGS. 11 and 12), within the aperture 28 in shelf member 26, extends below side core pusher plates 40 to provide an exposed annular shoulder or pilot ring 72. It will also be observed that the inwardly disposed ends of side core pusher plates 40 slide through the wall of the bushing 36 from diametrically opposite sides thereof and that the bushing 36 is provided with diametrically opposed windows 73 for this purpose. The bushing 36 is replaceably secured in any suitable manner within aperture 2 8 in the shelf 26 in order that it may be removed, as desired, and replaced to accommodate varying piston sizes.

The furnace blister 14, FIGS. 1, 2, 3 and 5 is preferably constructed in the form of a steel shell 74 lined with fire brick or the like 76 .toprovide a molten metal cavity 78, in the case of a piston casting apparatus. A molten metal receiving receptacle or pot 84) (FIG. 3) is suspended within the cavity 78 in the blister 14 from the underside of a cross head plate 82 mounted for vertical reciprocation in respect to the blister 14.

The cross head 82 is fixedly secured to oppositely secured pads 84 pin and clevis connected to the upper closed ends of guide cylinders 88, open at their lower ends and telescopically slida ble over double acting piston and cylinder units 86. Each cylinder 86 is equipped with a single piston (not shown) to which connecting rods 92 are attached to axially extend through both ends of :the cylinders 86. Cylinders 86 are also fialnge connected at 94 to the upper ends of tubular pedestal housings 96 stationarily disposed in respect to a fixed base structure, identified in its entirety by the reference numeral 98, located below .the blister 14.

The base structure 98 comprises oppositely disposed housings 1G0 rigidly secured in spaced relationship by a tie bar 102 for lateral aligned disposition of the housings 100 with the downwardly depending connecting rods 92. The lower ends of the lowermost connecting rods 92 are constructed as rack bars 104 in engagement with pinions 106 secured to a cross shaft 108 supported adjacent its ends in the housings 100. The particular mounting of shaft 108 and its secured pinions 106 in engagement with rack bars 104 provides synchronized up and down move- Cir merit and travel of the connecting rods 92 and cross head member 82 translated thereby to present a bottom mold plate 112, carried on the upper surface of cross head 82, into and out of sealing disposition in respect to abutting closed assembly of the cavitied mold halves 46 (FIGS. 3, 4 and 5). Dowel pins 83 are provided on the underside of brackets 44 for registry in aligned apertures in the pads 84 to insure aligned and registered disposition of cross head 82, mold sealing plate 112 and cavitied mold sections 46.

The bottom end wall of molten material receiving rcceptacle (FIG. 3) is provided with a plug-type valve member 114 which, in lowered position of the receptacle 80, preferably strikes a central protuberance 1l6 extending above the bottom surface of the cavity or well 78 within the blister 14. Contact between the valve stem 1 14 and protuberance 116 raises the valve within its opening in the bottom surface of receptacle 8% to establish communication between the cavity 7 8 and receptacle 80 through one or more passages 118 formed in the stem of the valve 114 to thereby fill the receptacle 80 up to the level of the molten material within the cavity 78. Upward movement of the receptacle 80, by reciprocation of the cross head 82, reverses the operation of valve 114 causing it to be reseated in closed position.

With the respective elements of the casting apparatus thus far described in their relative positions illustrated in FIG. 3, gas pressure is introduced through an opening 122 into the interior of the receptacle 81 to raise or force the molten material the receptacle through depending tubular member 124, and connecting gate passages 126 in plate 112, into the interior of the mold cavity formed by 'abuttingly closed cavitied mold halves 46 surrounding sectional core elements 30, 32 and 34 assembled within the mold. As illustrated to best advantage in FIG. 14, the plate 112 is a unitary assembly having the depending tube 124 secured thereto as by welding.

Similar elements and construction of the casting apparatus described thus far are shown in the embodiment of the invention illustrated in FIG. 4, the only exception being the substitution of a flowable cast-able material or molten metal feeding receptacle 130 equipped with a lateral or side spout 13 2 serving to establish charge filling communication with the cavity 78 in the blister 14. The spout 132, in its elevated position illustrated in FIG. 4, is sealed against a suitable valve stem 136 and gas pressure is admitted through the aperture 122 to raise the contents of the receptacle 130 and deliver or charge the same into the mold cavity in sealed registry with the mold closing cover plate 112, as previously described.

A finished or solidified casting-receiving and transfer mechanism is provided in both embodiments of the invention. This mechanism comprises a beam or arm 140 secured at one of its extremities to an oscillatable drive mechanism, which in the preferred practice of the invention comprises a vertically disposed shaft 142 extending below a housing of a suitable hydromotor :144 rigidly secured to the underside of a lateral extension (FIGS. 1 and 2) of one of the aforementioned brackets 44 carried by the main frame 10. From FIG. 6 it will be observed that the beam member 140 is oscillatably translated through substantially ninety degrees of movement to carry a basket member from its broken line casting-receiving position to a finished casting-discharging position, shown in full lines.

The basket member 150 is rigidly secured to a shaft 152 rotatably journaled in the beam 140 at its extremity remote from its attachment to hydromotor 144, a crank lever 154 secured to the basket 150 and unitarily attached to a hub member 156 secured on the shaft 152 serving this purpose. A biasing coiled tension spring 158 is attached at its ends and stretched between the hub 156 and an adjustable tension-applying bolt 160 secured to the beam 140, the biasing spring 158 reacting to resiliently urge basket 150 in the slightly rearwardly inclined casting-receiving position illustrated to best advantage in broken line construction in FIGS. 6 and 7, and in full lines in FIG. 5, in which position a second lever or stop bar 162, secured to the shaft 152 and angularly disposed in respect to crank lever 154, bears on a finger bar 164 rigidly attached to and extending outwardly away from the underside of the beam 140.

It will thus be observed that the basket 150 is impositively held under the tension exerted by biasing spring 158 in abutting contact between the under surface of oscillatable lever bar 162 and upper surface of rigid finger bar 164 in finished casting-receiving position beneath the center line of the closed and open mold halves 46, as viewed in FIGS. 5 and 6. It will also be observed that oscillation of the beam 140 to its full line position in FIGS. 6 and 7 will convey a finished casting in the basket 150 out of interference with reciprocating upward movement of the cross head 82 to register the mold cover plate 112 in sealing relationship with an otherwise downwardly open end of the assembled or abuttingly closed mold sections 46 (FIGS. 3, 4, 6 and 7). In this latter location of the beam 140, with its attached basket 150 containing a finished casting, upward movement of the cross head 82 carries with it an angularly bent rigid strap bracket 168, provided with an adjustably threaded trigger bolt 170, which engages the under surface of the aforementioned radially extended oscillatable finger bar 162 to thereby tilt the same and oscillate shaft 152 and its attached basket 150 into a forwardly inclined position to gravitationally discharge a finished casting therefrom. In this connection, the spring 158 returns the basket 150 to castingreceiving position on downward movement of the cross head plate 8 2, which separates the abutting contact between the upstanding trigger bolt 170 and underside of the finger bar 162.

In an operating cycle of the improved casting equipment of the invention, molten metal or other flowable casting material is preferably injected under relatively low gas pressure, say between 2 and 10 pounds per square inch, into the mold cavity formed by abuttingly assembled cavitied mold sections 46, with or without an internal core structure disposed within the cavity between the mold sections, such as that provided by sectional piston cores 30, 32 and 34, the normally open end of which assembled mold is closed and sealed by removable end cover plate 112. For this operation, the arrangement and disposition of the elements of the casting apparatus of the invention would be substantially that illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4, in which case the finished casting-receiving and transfer mechanism, with specific reference to the beam 140' and basket 150, would be disposed as illustrated in full lines in FIG. 6.

The selection of passages 126 to provide a reduced transverse cross-section in the gate through the thickness dimension of plate 112 results in separation of solidified and molten or flowable material midway the relatively shallow depth of the cover plate 112 on its removal from sealing contact with the cavitied mold sections 46 on completion of a casting operation. Contact between the underside of bottom cover plate 112 with molten metal, or similar heated and solidifiable casting materials employed in a casting operation, also insures a minimum solidified gate section integrally attached to a finished casting produced in the aforedescribed equipment of the invention. Castings thus produced are manifestly riserless from the standpoint of being devoid of the usually integrally attached, upstanding enlarged body of solidified riser metal or material.

In addition, and this applies in particular to the above described equipment for casting pistons or similar right cylindrical articles, selection of the bottom cover plate 112 at least equal in area to the uniform transverse cross sectional area of the cast article permits release and gravity discharge of the finished cast article through the bottom of its cavitied mold on completion of a casting opera tion and removal of the bottom plate 112.

However, in the preferred operation of the specific piston casting apparatus above-described, and with the mold halves 46 in abutting assembled relationship in engagement with the outer peripheral surface of pilot ring 72 and surrounding assembled sectional cores 30, 3 2 and 34 within the mold cavity (FIGS. 3 and 4), the cross head plate 82 and its dependent receptacle or is raised to register the bottom cover plate 112 carried thereby into sealing disposition with respect to the otherwise downwardly open end presented by the assembled cavitied mold sections 46. The molten or flowable contents of receptacle 81 or 160 are thereafter pressurized to fill the mold cavity formed by the abutting cavitied mold halves 46 and assembled sectional cores 30, 3:2 and 34 within the same to provide a solidified cast article characterized by a plane or line of separation between the liquid contents of the receptacle 80 or 130 and solidified casting within the mold at substantially the reduced cross-section of the gate passages 1:26.

Downward withdrawal of the cross head 82 and its associated dependent receptacle 80 or 136 and bottom cover plate 112, through manipulation of the fluid operated cylinders 36, exposes the lower or bottom as-cast surface or head of a cast piston 174 with a relatively small attached solidified protuberance of gate material 176, as illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 7, substantially equivalent in volume to the uppermost frustoconical gate passage 126 in the bottom cover plate 112.

Properly timed and directional connection of the mold manipulating cylinders 48, central core cylinder 60, lateral core cylinders 42 and 68, and remaining lateral core cylinder 42 with a suitable source of fluid pressure actuate the cavitied mold sections 46, central core section 32, left hand side or lateral core member 30 and remaining side or lateral core member 34 in the order named to completely free the cast piston 174, except for any frictional engagement that it might retain with the internal surface of the pilot ring 72 adjacent the marginal lower edge of the cast piston skirt.

The cast piston 174 may now of its own weight gravitationally fall into the basket 15d of the casting-receiving mechanism, or be released by an air blast or similar force from any retaining engagement with the ring 72, as stated above, in which case it will still be gravitationally delivered to the basket 150. Actuation of the hydromotor 144 at this stage in a cycle of operation of the equipment of the invention will oscillate the beam and its attached basket 150, carrying a cast piston 174, through a ninety degree are where the basket will be subsequently tilted on its shaft 152 to discharge the cast piston therein when the cross head 82 is next translated upwardly to repeat a casting operation.

The several double acting fluid operated cylinders 42, 48, 60, 68 and 86, as well as the hydromotor 144 and injection pressure applied through aperture 122, may be independently actuated by an operator of the integrated equipment of the invention in proper sequence and timed relationship in the performance of a casting cycle, as above described. Preferably, the stated cylinders, hydromotor and injection pressure control means are incorporated in electrical circuitry including conventional solenoid controlled valving mechanism for each of the cylinders, injection pressure means and the hydromotor, a conventional electric timer, and conventional protective electrical interlocks, whereby a single cycle of operation, or repeated cycles of operation, of the casting equipment and finished casting handling mechanism may be performed as a result of a single push button control. Such conventional electrically controlled, fluid operated systems are well known, an example of which is fully illustrated and described in United States Letters Patent 2,581,418, issued January 8, 1952, to George C. Kohl.

Having thus described the invention in terms of broad and specific forms of integrated casting and casting handling equipment, it is to be understood that the invention should not be interpreted more narrowly than defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. Integrated casting and casting handling and transferring equipment comprising a downwardly depending cavitied mold presenting a bottom open end, a flowable castable material supply reservoir below the open end of the cavitied mold, a cross head secured to said reservoir and translatable towards and away from the open end of the cavitied mold, a cover plate secured to the cross head in alignment with the open end of the mold, said cover plate defining a wall of the cavitied mold, a gate extending through the cover plate in communication with flowable castable material in the reservoir, means for imparting upward vertical translating movement to the cross head, cover plate and reservoir as a unit to place the cover plate in sealing relationship with the open end of the cavitied mold and define a finished surface of the cast article produced therein, means for pressurizing flowable castable material in the reservoir and deliver the same in a mold charging operation of the sealed mold, the gate through the cover plate constituting the entrance for the pressurized flowable castable material into the sealed mold, a reduced cross-sectional area of gate intermediate its axial length separating solidified castable material in the mold cavity from flowable castable material in the reservoir on completion of a mold charging operation and solidification of the castable material within the mold cavity, a finished casting-receiving device in offset relationship to the unitary cross head, cover plate and reservoir in its elevated mold charging position, means for retracting the unitary cross head, cover plate and reservoir out of sealing relationship of the cover plate with the cavitied mold and a solidified cast article therein, means for oscillatably swinging the finished casting-receiving device from its ofiset position to a position below the open ended cavitied mold and cast article therein, means for releasing and gravitationally discharging the cast article into the casting-receiving device disposed below the same, means for returning the casting-receiving device and finished casting carried thereby to the position first occupied by the casting receiving device, and a triggering mechanism comprising a rigid bracket provided with an adjustable contact member movable with the cross head and an oscillatable extending rigid lever on the casting-receiving device, said adjustable contact member making interference contact with the oscillatable extending rigid lever on upward movement of the cross head to discharge a finished casting from the casting-receiving device.

2. Integrated casting and casting handling and transferring equipment comprising a downwardly depending cavitied mold presenting a bottom open end, a flowable castable material supply reservoir below the open end of the cavitied mold, a cross head secured to said reservoir and translatable towards and away from the open end of the cavitied mold, a cover plate secured to the cross head in alignment with the open end of the mold, said cover plate defining a wall of the cavitied mold, a gate extending through the cover plate in communication with flowable castable material in the reservoir, means for imparting upward vertical translating movement to the cross head, cover plate and reservoir as a unit to place the cover plate in sealing relationship with the open end of the cavitied mold and define a finished surface of the cast article produced therein, means for pressurizing flowable castable material in the reservoir and deliver the same in a mold charging operation of the sealed mold, the gate through the cover plate constituting the entrance for the pressurized flowable castable material into the sealed mold, a finished casting-receiving device in offset relationship to the unitary cross head, cover plate and reservoir in its elevated mold charging position, means for retracting the unitary cross head, cover plate and reservoir out of sealing relationship of the cover plate with the cavitied mold and a solidified cast article therein, means for oscillatably swinging the finished casting-receiving device from its offset position to a position below the open ended cavitied mold and cast article therein, means for releasing and gravitationally discharging the cast article into the casting-receiving device disposed below the same, means for returning the casting-receiving device and finished casting carried thereby to the position first occupied by the casting-receiving device, and a triggering mechanism comprising a rigid bracket provided with an adjustable contact member movable with the cross head and an oscillatable extending rigid lever on the castingreceiving device, said adjustable contact member making interference contact with the oscillatable extending rigid lever on upward movement of the cross head to discharge a finished casting from the casting-receiving device.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,913,945 Morris et al June 13, 1933 1,952,201 Flamrnange et al Mar. 27, 1934 2,054,476 Derry et al Sept. 15, 1936 2,243,293 Stahl May 27, 1941 2,287,524 Jackson June 23, 1942 2,425,362 Cherry et al. Aug. 12, 1947 2,660,769 Bennett Dec. 1, 1953 2,848,770 Schuchardt Aug. 26-, 1958 2,932,070 Jackson et al. Apr. 12, 1960 

